Then I started looking around at people. I noticed Dad and Jano having the slumped upper back too (though more pronounced than mine). Then Hala tells me that one of her friends at college took up swimming after his doctor told him he was starting to have a curved back. I also heard some doctor talking about how this was becoming a very common problem even among young people still in college. I DID NOT want to have a slouched back at the ripe old age of 25!!
See, we sit at our computers and laptops for long periods of time with our heads angled forward. We sleep with our heads on high pillows. We end up, despite proclaiming excellent strength and physique, with postures that look like B in the photo instead of A.
After doing a bit looking around online, and reading a bunch of advice from chiropractors and yoga enthusiasts, two days I ago I decided to ditch the pillow and start lying flat on my back when sleeping. Lying flat on your back without a pillow will in theory pull your usually curved upper back/neck and head backward into their proper location. I do feel a slight, not stiffness exactly, but pressure I suppose in my upper and neck, as if they re-aligning themselves.
Here are the downsides:
It was really annoying the first time I did this. Especially in the neck (and no not the back of it, but the front surprisingly!)
I did suffer from a bit of insomnia after changing my sleeping posture, I tossed and turned the first night. The second night, I only tossed an turned for an hour before falling asleep. So I'm getting used to it.
The slight pressure I feel in my upper spine and neck from re-alignment.
Here are the upsides:
When I finally fall asleep, I'm going into a deeper sleep. For 2 days, after I fell asleep, I slept continuously all the way to morning. None of that waking up sleepy at 6:30 or 7, looking around, and then going back to sleep for a few more hours.
I looked in the mirror and after doing this for only 2 nights, I can already noticeably see that my upper back is looking straighter and my ear is closer on its way to being in a straight line with my shoulder and hips.
I feel... taller? It's bizarre and I can't explain it. Just feel like I've got a taller view on things, like when I'm wearing heels.
The transition phase is moving fast, faster than what I dealt with when learning to sleep with a sleep mask (also highly recommended).
I think this is going well. I'm going to keep sleeping sans pillow and see where it goes in terms of back posture. I'm gonna take a picture today so I can compare with a picture taken a couple of weeks from now.
Cheers
Very interesting! I'm going to give it a try because I notice the same thing. But I do wonder if my memory foam mattress could also have a negative effect. It is so very comfortable!
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ReplyDeleteI'll give it a try too. I typically like the very thin flat pillows anyway. But I do notice that while my back is straight my neck is pointing forward. I try to make a conscious effort to straighten it but 8 hours in front of the computer everyday it's kind of hard.
ReplyDeleteI think Terra finds all this hippie stuff strange (home made tooth paste, natural shampoo from whole foods, avoiding bread and pasta, avoiding sweets, cotton only clothes, using vinegar on moles, and now no pillows)
I'd forgotten how high my pillow here were. When I came back it was awful. Eventual I just ripped out the seams, took out 2/3 of the rolled up cotton and sewed it back shut. Instant improvement in sleep.
ReplyDeleteThere's a catch. I apparently don't like sleeping on my back at all. I toss and turn a lot.
The good thing is that now that I at least lie a bit in the beginning on my back, and then keeping my head and neck in the same pulled back position, I grab my pillow and sleep on my left side like I usually prefer. I've no idea if I'm maintaining this position throughout the night, but whatever I'm doing it's working. I also make a conscious effort to keep my head and neck in the same uncomfortable position during the day (it's getting to be a habit, and also getting a less and less uncomfortable each day).
I probably spend 20-30 minutes lying flat on my back while reading before sleep. And a similar amount of time lying flat on the ground (also reading) whenever I'm keeping an eye on Yousef attempting to crawl and put things in his mouth.
Speaking of hippie, I sort of miss Tucson.
Oh, and I'm currently trying to strictly follow the ideal diet I usually aim for in preparation for my doctor's appointment (going to get some general tests, cholesterol, blood work, deficiencies, etc.) It feels like I've got finals coming up and I've gotta prepare :S
One, I've been sleeping without a pillow for the last few days. I must say, I like it! No clue if there is improvement in my posture but I think I'm sleeping better.
ReplyDeleteTwo, I think very few people sleep flat on their back (yes, an unsubstantiated claim). It is quite uncomfortable. Of all the babies I know right now (that's around 8 or 9), once they learn to turn, they sleep on their stomachs.
Three, seriously? you can actually read with Youssef around? Jealous! I can do ANYTHING while Alina is playing. The moment I touch anything, she's all "WHAT'S THAT?", then crawls all over me to grasp it. Then I have two choices, paper in her mouth or a meltdown.
correction: can'T do ANYTHING...
ReplyDeleteHaha. I don't know. I just put him on the blanket and spread a bunch of toys around. He's usually interested in my nook and will throw himself at it, but recently, if I'm sleeping or lying down next to him on the blanket, he'll ignore it in favor of his new favorite things: A colorful cheap plastic hand fan Hala had gotten from Japan, a rattle with bells, and some old colorful wooden blocks Dad dug out of the attic.
ReplyDeleteHe likes to grab the fan or rattle, wave it around maniacally, and occasionally whack himself in the face and look confused, before going at it again.